


The Winds Might Blow Through Me...

by revelant



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/F, Fluff, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-11-23 01:33:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20883974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revelant/pseuds/revelant
Summary: Growing up, Seungwan wanted to have superpowers to protect the girl of her dreams from any possible danger. Much to her surprise, her wish came true, but not in the way she expected it would.





	1. The Unexpected Kiss

Seungwan was mesmerized by the scene shown on the huge TV screen in the living room, so much her widened eyes stopped blinking and her jaw dropped open for a few seconds. Her mother had to raise her voice to take her out of her trance to get her attention, “Seungwannie, come help me set the table.” 

The little girl jumped to her feet and skipped her way to the kitchen. 

“I’m coming, mommy!” 

“What were you watching, Wannie?” The mother asked the child, unable to hide her curiosity. “You were so into it, you didn’t listen to my voice.”

“Mommy, mommy, there was this boy and he, he has many, many, maaany little naifess in his thumb.” Seungwan narrated the scene while pinching her thumb and then showing it to her mother, “And he puts his hands on the wall and then he doesn’t fall because the naifess are stuck and then, he goes up up up the roof! The roof, mommy!” The child sort of rapped the words judging by how fast she spat them out in her excitement. Her high-pitched voice cracked at times for leaving her lungs with such impetus. Her mother always wondered why her daughter always sounded like she had a megaphone incorporated in her vocal cords. 

The lady could barely contain her laughter when listening to her child struggling to pronounce the word ‘knife’ properly. The reason was as simple as it was memorable. Seungwan had just lost her first tooth. The lower central incisor, to be precise. It happened the same evening the family celebrated their youngest’s sixth birthday. 

She was so happy they got the lemon cake that she loved so much that she bit into the slice she was served a tad too enthusiastically. She got so scared when she saw a few drops of blood tainting the fluffy light-yellow surface that she dropped the paper plate on the ground and ran towards her mother, who consoled her by telling her that the tooth would grow back again later. 

Her older sister by three years, Seunghee, found the lone tooth semi-buried in the Chantilly cream covering the cake. Seungwan refused to take it at first, but once she calmed down she stared at it, fascinated. 

Now, she has it inside a small round jewelry box which she stores next to her hair accessories on the desk in the room she shared with Seunghee. She promised herself she’ll store the follow-up fallen teeth inside, as well. 

She has been talking funny ever since. Even her kindergarten teacher chuckled when it was the little girl’s turn to recite the poem that she had memorized for Teacher’s Day in front of the class. 

“What did you say the boy had sticking out of his thumb?” Her mother asked, not able to resist the desire to hear her cute and funny way of pronouncing the word one more time.

“Naifess!” The child shouted unaware, and her mother burst into laughter. Seungwan got surprised at this. 

“Don’t laugh, it’s true, mommy!” She frowned, her lips forming a pout that denoted her annoyance. 

“I’m so sorry, baby. I believe you, I do.” Her mother placed a hand over the side of the girl’s head and brought it close to her to kiss it. Certainly, Mrs. Son did not laugh because she doubted the veracity of her child’s story. 

Seungwan soon forgot about it and finished collecting all six spoons and six forks she needed from the drawer; one for her mommy, one for her daddy, one for her big sister and one for her.

“Lunch is served!” Mrs. Son called for the remaining members to join them at the table.

Mr. Son was the first to come straight from the attic, his usual place to spend his free time after a tiring day of teaching at school. He was a chemistry teacher working at one of the best high schools in the city. 

Seunghee followed, her attention on the fairytale book she was reading at the moment. Her dad bought her a deluxe collection of classics - The Brothers Grimm stories included - after she finished her second year in primary school with the best grades of the class. 

Seungwan looked up to her older sister and always wondered if she’d ever be as smart and brilliant as Seunghee was. Fortunately, her parents weren’t the type to compare their kids, which can eventually cause friction between them. Even so, Seungwan, at her tender age, still felt the pressure. She wanted them to be proud of her as much as they were of her sister. 

Tonight’s menu was quite Italian: spaghetti and meatballs, recently baked white bread, fresh lettuce and cherry tomatoes salad, red wine for the parents and grape juice for the girls, of course. 

“Hmm, very delicious. Your food is always delicious, darling.” Mr. Son praised his wife, both exchanging brief loving gazes. 

Seungwan was getting a bit frustrated with the fork because she could not twirl it properly, so Seunghee helped her with it. 

“Thank you, unnie.” She gave her sister a grateful grin, flashing her incomplete set of teeth. 

“Try not to spill the sauce on your t-shirt.” The older girl replied pointing at the younger’s clothes. Seungwan immediately lowered her head to see if that had happened. Luckily it did not. Yet.

“Your cousin Jongdae is coming in the afternoon.” Mrs. Son said to her daughters a moment later. “Aunt Minji and I are going shopping downtown, so please be nice to him, OK?” She gave Seunghee a look, clearly the question was directed to her.

The girl made a face, and complained, “Why today? I don’t like Jongdae, mom.” 

“Why not? He’s a very polite boy.” Her mother pointed out, “Besides, he has taken care of your sister at times you and I could not. Don’t forget that.”

Jongdae was two years older than Seungwan and already attended primary school, like Seunghee. Seungwan would enter the following year. She liked to play with him. He had the coolest toys ever. Lots of superhero action figures – her favorites - with many accessories, and police officers riding remote-controlled motorcycles. 

“He’s always annoying this new friend I made at school. Every day he sneaks in our classroom and leaves a letter with tons of red hearts drawn all over it inside one of her notebooks on her desk. He always writes impertinent things like, “You are so pretty. You are the prettiest girl in the world.” Or “I like you. Be my girlfriend.” Always with many grammar mistakes and terrible calligraphy. He’s so embarrassing. She’s so tired, but doesn’t know how to tell him to stop. I once told him to, but he doesn’t listen.”

“Aww poor boy, he must like her a lot. Don’t be so mean, Seunghee.” Mrs. Son tried to plead mercy for her nephew to her firstborn. “He’s still too young. Give him a break.” 

Seunghee let out a resigned sigh, “I invited her to come home today, too. But, now that I know he’s going to be here…” 

“Well, he will be playing with your sister in the backyard while you take your friend to your room. Problem solved. No more conflicts, OK?” Mrs. Son’s serious tone sounded final, and that made Seungwan sense the tension between them and it worried her.

“Mommy, don’t be mad at Seunghee. She’s good. She’s not fighting Jongdae. She’s not fighting Jongdae.” Her expressive brown eyes begging. “She’s good.” 

Mrs. Son rushed to calm the little girl by patting her head. “It’s OK, Seungwannie. I’m not mad at your sister. I’m not. We were just talking. Right, Seunghee?”

The older girl nodded understanding and gave her baby sister a soft smile. “Not mad, Wannie. Mommy is not mad.”

“I am looking forward to meet your new friend, Seunghee. You haven’t told me her name yet, what is it?” Mrs. Son asked her eldest. 

“Her name is Joohyun.”

“Oh, that’s a lovely name, isn’t it, darling?” The lady now asked for her husband’s opinion. He has been so engrossed checking the message inbox on his cellphone that he had lost track of the topic of the conversation. 

“Uh, yes, yes, very.” He answered absentmindedly.

His wife just shook her head. ‘Phones always get in the way of couples’ communication, deteriorating it.’ she heard a friend say one time. She could not agree more by now. 

“What do you think, Seungwannie? Do you like her name, too?”

The little girl nodded, looking pleased. “Yes. I like it. Very lovely.” Act followed, she was wiping any remaining tomato sauce stain off her mouth. “Can I leave the table, mommy?”

“Yes, you can.” Her mother authorized her.

Seungwan hopped down from the big chair she was sitting at, and sprinted to the stairs. 

“Don’t forget to brush your teeth!” Mrs. Son could only hope her youngest daughter paid attention this time.

\--

“Which one you want to play with? I brought Captain America… Luke Skywalker… Batman…The Terminator… Pegasus Seiya… Son Goku… Alucard, aaaaand Hercules.” Jongdae listed his action figures at the same time he placed them on the carpet in the living room, displaying them in front of his cousin for her to select the one she fancied the most. Seungwan stared at the toys for a few seconds, her eyes scanning the features of every single one of them.

“Hmmm… Who’s the most powerful?” She finally asked.

“Most powerful? It depends. They are from different universes, Wan-ah.” He said reluctantly. 

“I want to play with the most powerful.”

“You choose. You decide.” He shrugged. “If you choose Luke Skywalker you can use the Force and move stuff. If you choose Batman you are very rich and have very cool weapons. Hercules is half-human, half-god. Alucard is a vampire and doesn’t get old, also gets cured very fast from bad wounds. Then-”

“I want that one!” Seungwan made up her mind before her cousin could finish explaining each of the characters’ powers. “If you shoot me, I won’t die easy.”

“Oh. Good point. Good choice.” Jongdae nodded in agreement. “Then, I will choose… “

Before the boy could decide, the bell rang and Seunghee came down the stairs to open the front door. Both kids stood up to see who it was.

“Sorry I was late. My mom got stuck in the traffic.”

Jongdae recognized the voice instantly. He looked at Seungwan, his eyes widened and mouth opened in excitement, she copied his reaction not understanding why.

Soft and demure. It was her voice. He had no doubt.

“Let’s go upstairs. Jongdae is here with my sister.” Seunghee told the visitor before letting her in.

“OK.” The girl replied.

Much to Seunghee’s discontent, it turned out impossible to just walk past the younger children and ignore them. She had wished the kids were playing in the backyard as her mother told her they would.

“Hi, Joohyun!” Jongdae exclaimed enthusiastically, unable to contain himself any longer. 

Seeing her cousin so nervous, made Seungwan even more curious. 

“Hi.” The newcomer greeted back before shifting her view towards the smaller child standing right next to the boisterous boy.

Seungwan remained unresponsive. Her little mouth partially open when she locked eyes with the 9-year old girl. 

“Seungwan? Said ‘hi’ to Joohyun, please.” Seunghee ordered her, a tad impatient. The less they interacted with Jongdae, who looked like he wanted to say more to Joohyun, the better. 

“Hi.” She replied in the tiniest voice, and hid behind Jongdae right away. 

It made Joohyun chuckle. “Awww, hi, Seungwan.” She waved at her one last time, a sweet smile on her face that Seungwan barely caught a glimpse of, still hiding behind her cousin. That glimpse as brief as it was made the little girl’s chubby cheeks feel hotter than usual. 

“Let’s go upstairs. I want to show you something. Come with me.” Seunghee finally dragged her friend with her. 

“She’s so beautiful.” Jongdae sighed loudly as he fell on his behind abruptly. “I’m so gonna kiss her and she gonna be my wife.” 

“Kiss her?” A still blushing Seungwan asked, confused about what exactly did he mean by that. 

“Yeah. Kiss.” He jutted out his lips and put his fingers over them. Noticing the girl still did not get it, he stood up and grabbed a couch pillow, “Like in romantic movies, remember? The man puts his hands on the woman’s face, tells her he loves her with all his heart, and pulls her close and-“ He pressed his lips against the pillow with frenzy as a demonstration.

Seungwan remembered the girl’s face, specifically her lips when she smiled at her, and looking at how Jongdae kept making weird noises while rubbing his face against that poor pillow, her cheeks heated up again, and she didn’t know why.

“Do you want her to play with us, Wan-ah?” He asked her.

The little girl nodded in the act.

“Let’s go ask her!” He suggested at the same time as he yanked Seungwan’s arm, not letting the girl have a second to decide whether she wanted to do that or not. 

The kids climbed up the stairs to the second floor. On their left was a tall window through which one could see the house’s main entrance and roofless garage. On their right, the long wooden corridor with three doors on its left and two on its right. At the end of it, in front of them, was the spiral staircase leading to the attic. Seunghee and Seungwan’s shared bedroom was located right after the first door, which belonged to the second bathroom out of three in the house. In front of their room was the spacious studio their mom used as a home office for her nighty writing. As a full-time housewife, she found joy in writing poems and novels, some of which she had already published traditionally with moderate success. She hoped her firstborn would follow her steps, given how good Seunghee was already at writing short essays for school at such a young age. Her husband kind of supported the idea, though he believed their eldest daughter had brain for something more complex, in his opinion, something like… let’s say, science. Seungwan, on the other hand, was still a big question mark for both of them. There was still time. She was much too young to know it yet.

“They must be in your room!” Jongdae told his cousin before reaching for the door’s handle.

“Knock first.” Seungwan stopped him. “Seunghee unnie always gets mad at mommy when she doesn’t knock first.” She added before putting her hand close to her mouth to start biting her nails.

“But, this is your room, too.” Jongdae reasoned, to which Seungwan just shrugged.

The boy breathed out frustrated and knocked on the door as his cousin asked him to. 

Soon, Seunghee opened it, but exited the room without letting them see where Joohyun was. “What do you want?” She asked them, unable to hide her exasperation. 

Jongdae was about to say something, but her eyes and tone intimidated him, so he elbowed Seungwan to speak instead.

“Can we play with you, please?” She spoke timidly, her insecure puppy eyes moving her sister. Seungwan was too cute and innocent, she didn’t have the heart to send her away. Had Jongdae been all by himself, another would have been the story. Clever bastard, that boy.

“OK, but-“ 

Before she could tell them her terms and conditions, she heard the main door downstairs being unlocked.

“Seunghee! Seunghee! Come help me, please!” Mrs. Son called her daughter loudly, after realizing she was not in the living room. 

The girl huffed. “OK, wait here, you two. Don’t enter until I come back, do you understand?”

Seungwan nodded effusively. She never disobeyed her big sister. 

Before going downstairs, Seunghee turned around and told her guest, “My mom needs my help, I will be back in a minute. Please, wait here.” 

She closed the door behind her, not letting the pair in, and rushed to do what she was asked to.

“Let’s get in.” Jongdae was not willing to follow the order given and reached for the handle again. 

“No, Seunghee will get mad. No.” Seungwan tried to stop him, feeling scared.

Suddenly, the door opened. 

“Come inside, please.”

Joohyun made way for the kids to enter. Jongdae stepped in right away, but Seungwan dubitated, walking gingerly at first.

“Seunghee left you out because of me. It was my fault, Seungwan, I’m sorry. It’s not right. This is your room, too.” Her voice was very soft and girly. More girly than Seunghee’s. It sounded so pleasant to Seungwan’s ears. 

“Seunghee is evil. She can’t tell Joohyun don’t enter because it’s her room, too. She, she always does mean things. She’s a witch. It’s not your fault, Joohyun. You’re much better than her. Much better, much better.” Jongdae fueled the fire hoping to earn Joohyun’s attention and favor. 

Seungwan noticed the girl was pursing her lips and looked like she was about to cry. That made her rush to her side and put a hand on her left cheek, “It’s OK, don’t get sad. Don’t.” 

Her little chubby hand was very warm and soft. Its touch made Joohyun feel better in a heartbeat. She raised her eyes and met Seungwan’s. 

“Smile, please.” The younger begged her, her vivid brown eyes showing genuine concern. Joohyun did not need to force a smile for the little girl. It just happened spontaneously. Seungwan’s sweet gaze followed by an unexpected funny dorky face made her laugh. 

“Do you wanna play with us?” Seungwan asked her right after. Joohyun nodded, still smiling at her.

Jongdae couldn’t contain his happiness. “Let’s go to the attic before Seunghee comes!” He prompted. 

The girls accepted the suggestion. 

\--

“Oh no! The toys! We left them in the living room.” Seungwan lamented, putting her hands over her head.

“Forget them. Let’s play something else.” Jongdae dismissed her concern. “Hmm, have you ever played ‘The Ceremony’?”

“No.” Seungwan shook her head. Joohyun did the same.

“It’s very cool.” He grabbed Seungwan’s arm brusquely and made her go up the sole bench that Mr. Son had put near all the big vaults storing the family’s stuff that didn’t fit anywhere anymore but that he refused to throw away. 

“Here, stand here.” He ordered her and then went around and picked up one of the several dusted heavy books that were laying over the big table in the corner. “You will be the wizard priest who says the sacred words from this magic book.” He approached the girls, opened the old book, which by the way had a strong moldy smell, and put it on Seungwan’s arms.

“Now, Joohyun is in trance, because she was cursed by an evil witch. She can’t move. OK?” He tried to grab Joohyun’s arms to move her right in front of Seungwan, but hesitated. She was slightly taller than him.

“Do I stand here?” Joohyun understood what he wanted and before he could touch her, she stood where he wanted her to.

“Yes, thank you.” The nervous boy was already sweating. 

Seungwan realized that something was off and her face turned stern.

“I will be the young wizard who knows how to remove the curse. So, when you read the magic words I will…“ He stopped talking and just stare at a very puzzled Joohyun. His eyes quickly deviated towards her lips, and then, he grabbed her by the forearms and pulled her closer to him, in a frantic attempt to kiss her. 

“No.” Joohyun yelped and winced, closing her eyes as a reflex; but before she could push herself back, the big old book fell hard over the boy’s head. 

“Ouch!” He hissed, “Seungwan! What is wrong with you?!” Tears pooled in his eyes. It hurt him a lot.

“Don’t. Kiss. Her.” 

There was not a single trace of the initial cheerfulness left in Seungwan’s voice. Her little hands had curled into fists and were shaking in anger. “She doesn’t like you. Leave her alone. Go away. Or I’ll punch you in the face.” She threatened him stoically. 

“You’re just like your sister!” He yelled and started weeping. “I will tell your mom what you did!” He stormed out of the room.

Joohyun couldn’t believe what just had happened. She looked at the younger girl, still standing atop the bench and looking at the door, her breathing agitated, her lips trembling.

Seungwan’s stern expression was suddenly replaced by one of surprise after feeling Joohyun’s hand wrapping around hers. She turned around and met the girl’s eyes again. 

“Come down.” She said, and Seungwan followed suit.

“Thank you for protecting me.” Joohyun smiled at Seungwan, who was not able to say a word after the older girl touched her hand the way she did. Joohyun snickered when she noticed her state, and bent slightly to reach the girl’s face.

In that moment, she placed a soft kiss on Seungwan's right cheek, and then moved back to face her. 

“You’re my guardian angel, Seungwannie.”


	2. The message

Seungwan was only six. But she was old enough to understand that this kiss was special. Her parents, her grandmothers, her aunts and even Seunghee had kissed her cheeks countless times, but this was different. Very different.

She didn’t know exactly what it made her feel, but it was a very, very pleasant feeling.

"Let's go downstairs.” Joohyun offered her hand to Seungwan, smiling sweetly at her. The younger girl put her palm over it without hesitation, and with their fingers intertwined, they exited the attic.

Right when they were about to grab the handrail of the staircase, Joohyun stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Seungwan asked her, sensing danger.

“N-nothing. It’s just that I don’t like spiral stairs much.” Joohyun swallowed her drying lips. “Going up is alright, but when I go down, I feel vertigo.”

“What is vertigo?” Seungwan got even more worried because the word sounded like something seriously bad.

“I feel dizzy when I look down, like I’m going to fall and nobody can hold me back.”

When Joohyun explained to Seungwan what she felt, the latter said immediately, “I will hold you back.”

Joohyun smiled feeling touched by the little girl’s words.

“If you look at me you won’t feel dizzy. Look at me. OK?” Seungwan instructed the older girl as she stepped on one stair first.

Joohyun gripped on the handrail with one hand, while holding Seungwan’s hand with the other, and took a deep breath before following the younger.

Slowly, one step at a time.

“Don’t look down, just look at me,” Seungwan said, and with each step she took, she kept turning around to make sure Joohyun was indeed looking at her.

A couple of minutes later, they were both safe and sound on solid ground.

“See? No problem!” Seungwan exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Joohyun nodded. “Thank you, Seungwannie. You’re so kind.” She was so grateful that she gave her another kiss on the same cheek.

Seungwan widen her eyes. The same feeling of the previous kiss invaded her once more. Her cheeks and earlobes turned warmer than usual, her lower tummy tickled, and then it all settled in that particular sensation of wellness inside her brain. Again, there was nothing she had experienced that could compare, the closest perhaps, that time she got a cold and a sore throat for playing outside with her hair still wet, and her mom had to give her a glass of soothing warm apple juice every night to help her ease the pain and congestion. Even so, it was not as soothing as Joohyun’s lips.

Was this the reason why Jongdae wanted to kiss Joohyun so much? Did he know how good her lips felt like?

“Do you want to see my toys now?” Seungwan suggested her as soon as they were inside her bedroom.

“Yes, of course.” Joohyun agreed. “Seunghee was showing me her collection of Barbie dolls before. She has so many of them.”

“Do you have Barbie dolls, too?” Seungwan asked.

“Me?” Joohyun lowered her head, and added, “No, I don’t.” Her tone of voice was sad.

“Why?” Seungwan thought it was weird. She did not particularly like dolls. She much preferred action figures to dolls, but her father would often buy a new Barbie doll for both her and Seunghee every time he had to travel abroad for conferences he attended. Whenever she and Seunghee played together with their Barbie dolls, she often played with the only Ken doll in the collection and liked to say he was a knight, a cop or a superhero who rescued secretary/ top model/princess Barbie from the worst danger. “Your daddy doesn’t buy you dolls, too?”

Before Joohyun could answer the question, Seunghee entered the room, looking quite upset.

“Son Seungwan, what happened?”

Her older sister only called her by her full name when she was mad at her, and that made the little girl step back, her lips forming a sad pout, a usual indication that she would start tearing up at any moment.

“Jongdae was crying his lungs out to mom and aunt saying that you hit him with a book. Aunt Minji left with him a moment ago; I told you not to enter the room, you disobeyed me!” Seunghee sighed frustrated, and Seungwan was literally on the verge of tears, not able to utter a word. The last thing she wanted was to upset her big sis. “I don’t want to believe him, he always exaggerates things, so, can any of you explained to me what happened?” Seunghee looked at Seungwan one second and her friend another, waiting for either of them to answer.

“He tried to kiss me on the lips. And your sister hit him because of that. Don’t yell at her, please.” Joohyun begged her friend. “She defended me. She’s the cutest, I swear.” She added, her eyes filled with gratitude towards the youngest among them. Her kind words made Seungwan smile from ear to ear, her previous apprehension disappearing by the second.

Seunghee felt relief after understanding the situation. Her initially stern face softened.

“Aw, Wannie is like that. Stands up for you when you need help.” Seunghee approached her sister and patted the crown of her head. “She stood up for me once, too.” She gave her head a brief peck, and Seungwan reacted by hugging her by the waist, happy to see that her sister was mad at her no more.

“Really?” Joohyun gasped, wondering what bad thing had happened to her friend.

“I’ll tell you that story later, Joohyun-ah.” Seunghee did not want to keep talking about the subject for the day.

“Unnie, can we watch a movie together, please?” The youngest begged her sister.

“Not today, Wannie. We have to eat dinner. And then, Joohyun’s mother will come to pick her up. Plus, it’s almost 6 p.m. Your time to go to bed is coming.” Seunghee warned, yet like her little sister, felt sad, because she also wanted her new friend to stay longer. She had just started to know her better, if she stayed the night, perhaps they could talk more.

Seungwan pouted, her brows coming together. “She has to leave?”

“Yes, but she’ll come back another day, right, Joohyunnie?”

Her friend nodded slowly, looking at Seungwan.

“You promise?” Seungwan raised her pinky finger, looking very serious about it.

Joohyun raised hers in return.

“Promise.”

They interlocked their fingers as a symbol of their little pact.

Seungwan grinned, absolutely delighted.

Now all she wanted was to have Joohyun coming home as often as possible.

“Come on, let’s go. Mom is waiting downstairs.” Seunghee rushed them a few seconds later. “She is making your favorite cornstarch porridge, Wannie!”

\---

“Bae Joohyun? That is your name, right, dear?” Mrs. Son asked their guest at the table. She and the girls were alone at home this time. Mr. Son would come back home in an hour or so, he had a school meeting to attend.

“Yes, ma’am,” Joohyun answered, her voice soft and very polite.

“Seunghee tells me you just came to the city this year; how do you like it?”

The girl nodded, “I like it. It’s a very nice city.”

“Do you have any siblings?” The lady asked further.

The girl just shook her head.

“Aw, you must feel very lonely, then.” Mrs. Son lamented.

“She’s very shy at school, too. I was the one who approached her first. That’s why I invited her to come home, mom.” Seunghee said before finishing her meal.

Seungwan listened to her sister, her eyes fixed on Joohyun, who kept eating in silence.

“I hope you visit us often, Joohyun. You are much welcomed in this house.” Mrs. Son told the child, at the same time as she gave her a motherly gaze.

“Thank you, ma’am.” The girl replied, her eyes meeting the youngest’s. Seungwan had been staring at the older girl for a while, and her food got cold because of that. Her heart started hurting, she could picture Joohyun standing alone in a corner, while people passed by her side ignoring her entirely. She did not like the image one bit.

The doorbell rang a few minutes after, and Mrs. Son went out to see who it was.

A tall bearded man with broad shoulders wearing a brown blazer was standing in front of her.

“May I help you?” She asked him.

“Is this the Son family’s house?” He spoke in a deep raspy voice.

“Yes. Who asks?” The lady asked cautiously.

“My apologies.” The man bowed slightly. “My name is Bae Joohwan, I’m Joohyun’s father. My wife gave me this address and told me to pick her up at this hour.”

“Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, Sir. Would you like to come in?” Mrs. Son opened the wooden door slightly to let him enter the front yard towards the building.

“No, it’s not necessary, I’m quite in a hurry. So, I will wait for her here. Thanks.” He forced a curt smile.

“OK. Wait a minute, please.”

She went back inside and called the girl, “Your father is here to take you home, my darling.”

Seungwan noticed that Joohyun’s first impulse was to swallow hard.

“Ah. He came.” The girl left her seat and walked slowly toward where Mrs. Son was standing.

“Wait!” Seungwan shouted and jumped off her chair. Joohyun turned around instantly.

Seungwan walked fast and the moment she was right in front of Joohyun, she hugged her. She closed her eyes and tightened her embrace. “Please, come back soon to play with me. You promised, OK?”

“I will.” Joohyun stroke Seungwan’s head.

“See you tomorrow at school, Joohyun-ah.” Seunghee joined her sister and grabbed her friend’s hand.

“See you, Seunghee. Bye, Seungwanie. The food was very delicious. Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. Son.” She bowed when the lady opened the front door. The man waved at the girl to come to his side, and she obeyed, head down.

“Thank you for taking care of her.” He bowed again and turn around, Joohyun did the same and walked behind him.

Mrs. Son kept looking at them for a while until they approached a small light red car. It was a Volkswagen Polo. The man opened the co-pilot door for the kid and she climbed in. The moment he shut the door closed, he raised his head and caught Mrs. Son looking, so he lifted his hand and waved goodbye, which the lady did in return.

Soon, he was inside starting the engine and driving the car away.

It was at that moment, that the lady realized that Seungwan was standing by her side, also watching them leave.

“Nice girl, isn’t she?” She told her child. Seungwan just nodded, her eyes still on the road.

“Time to go to bed, Wannie.” The mother took the child back inside the house. It was 7:30 p.m.

\---

“Do you want me to read you a story to help you sleep?” Her mom looked through the books on the shelf atop the big desk table Seungwan shared with her sister, who was busy putting her notebooks, pencil case and other school materials inside her backpack before getting a shower. Their mother had already showered her little sister and put her on the cute squirrel onesie pajamas that grandma had gifted her last Christmas. Mrs. Son had the costume to read bedtime stories to her daughters since they were 2 years old. Now, Seunghee was old enough to read them herself, and even though Seungwan could read the easy ones, she still preferred her mom to narrate the stories to her. Her voice lulled her to sleep.

But tonight, it was different.

Her mind was still on Joohyun. Her kind stare, her voice, timid and velvety as a whisper, the way her soft lips felt on her cheek, her sweet smile, the thumping sound of her heart when she hugged her goodbye, the sadness that invaded her when it was time to leave.

“Wannie?” Her mom took her out of her trance.

“Hmm?” She answered, tucked in bed under the white blankets.

“Something wrong, baby?” The lady approached her child and put a hand over her forehead.

“Mommy? Can Joohyun come back this week and spend the night with us?” She asked.

“Hmm, I would have to tell her parents about that first, Wannie. They need to give their permission.” The lady asseverated.

“I also want her to stay the night, mom.” Seunghee seconded her sister. “Stupid Jongdae ruined the day for us.”

“Seunghee… leave your cousin alone, please.” Her mother warned tiredly. “I will speak with your aunt tomorrow so she can teach him that it’s not right to do things like that. I’m sure he will understand, he’s just a boy.” She sighed. “Don’t worry about that anymore. Go take your bath, please, it’s getting late.”

Seunghee obeyed.

“No stories tonight?” The question was directed to her youngest.

Seungwan shook her head.

“Well then, goodnight, my baby. Dream of angels.” The lady bent to kiss her daughter on a cheek.

“Not there.” The child dodged her. “Joohyun kissed me there.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Son exclaimed, that was not a reason she expected to hear. “Then, is the other cheek, OK?”

Seungwan nodded, which made her mother titter as she kissed it and the forehead as well.

Minutes after her mother left the room, Seungwan sneaked out of bed and rushed to the desk. She tore a purple page off the multicolored sketchbook she used to draw in at the kindergarten and folded it in half transforming it into a folded postcard. Then, grabbed her color pencils and started writing a message on the inner page.

Seunghee was back in their room before Seungwan could finish. She looked at her sister eagerly drawing and coloring decorations on the card, and she understood who it was for.

When Seungwan noticed the presence of her sister, she tried to hide what she was making.

“It’s for Joohyun, right?” The eldest among the two spoke kindly, her tone calming Seungwan, who nodded.

“Give it to her tomorrow at school, please.”

Seunghee knew her sister had a kind heart. Perhaps, the kindest she would ever see. It was at moments like this when she wished she could protect her, like a good older sister should. Not just physically, but emotionally.

She wanted to take care of her new friend, too.

She was also very special.

\---

Seunghee arrived early to school, which was located quite close to her house. It took her around 15 minutes on foot to reach the main entrance. The day had a pleasant weather, sunny with a refreshing breeze. Among the students entering the building, she spotted Joohyun.

“Hey, you also came early.” She said as soon as she clung onto her friend’s arm.

“Yeah, my father had to leave early because he had to go to the airport, so he drove me to school earlier than usual.” The girl replied simply.

“Work trip?” Seunghee asked further.

Joohyun shrugged. “I guess.”

“He didn’t tell you? My dad always tells us where he is traveling to.” Seunghee found it weird, she thought all dads would tell their children things like that.

“He is always busy working in his lab, and comes home late. I don’t see him often.” Joohyun explained. “Does your dad spend a lot of time with you?” She asked her friend with curiosity.

“Well, my dad also works a lot, but he spends the weekends with us. He likes to take Wannie and me to the park that is around the corner, to ride our bicycles or play hide and seek. Then we go eat ice cream, and-” Seunghee got carried away, but noticed her friend’s smile faded. “Sorry.”

“No, why? Go on. Tell me what is Seungwannie’s favorite ice cream flavor.”

“Her favorite flavor? Hmm, that would be… lemon sorbet.” Seunghee noticed how her friend’s whole face lit up after her little sister was brought up in the conversation. Suddenly, she remembered Seungwan’s request.

“Don’t read it, please.” Was the sacred condition. It was hard for Seunghee to resist the temptation to read it, but she respected her sister’s wish.

“By the way, she gave me something for you.” She opened her backpack and searched for the folded postcard.

“Here.” She handed it to Joohyun, who could not look happier to receive it.

Seunghee stretched her neck trying to take a peek to what was written inside. But, first she saw the happiest, most radiant grin growing on her friend's face, followed by a lone tear falling from the corner of her eye. Seunghee could not bear the curiosity any longer and took the postcard back, and read the following short message,

> **Please don’t be scared. Don’t feel lonely. **
> 
> **I will care for you.**
> 
> **always.**
> 
> **Lots of hugs,**
> 
> **your guardian Seungwan**

* * *

A/N: Thank you for supporting this story, hope the chapter was worth the wait. Please let me know your thought on the comments. 


	3. The Spellbreaker

Her hair was pitch black so of course, the right color to use was black. Her eyes were big and dark brown, so rounded circles colored in brown would do. Her skin was quite fair, so the cream-colored crayon was the fittest option among all 12 crayons inside the case. 

Park Hyemi, the kindergarten teacher, passed by Seungwan’s side and stopped to check on the progress of her drawing. The girl usually drew very colorful and interesting images in class. And, this time was not the exception. 

“Oh, is that a princess?” The teacher tried to guess after recognizing a yellow crown over the head of a long black-haired girl dressed in a pompous white dress. 

Seungwan nodded, focused on coloring the brown boot of the short-haired character who was holding the princess’s hand.

“Are you that pretty princess, Seungwannie?” Miss Park asked the little girl, ready to follow up with a question about who her prince was after the anticipated confirmation.

Seungwan shook her head. “I am the knight. My hair is brown and short. See?” She put a finger on her drawing showing the haircut of the aforementioned character. 

“Ah.”

Miss Park was unable to formulate a thought for a few seconds. “A knight, so who is the princess?” She finally dared to ask.

“The princess is Joohyun!” Seungwan answered in a heartbeat, flashing her toothless grin. Any question left in the teacher’s mind was put in the backburn, and she just patted the girl’s head in return.

“Keep going, darling.”

Two weeks had passed since Seungwan met Joohyun for the first time. Jongdae was still resentful about what his cousin did to him and had not gone to her house to play again. Moreover, he had not approached Joohyun either. For sure, Seunghee could not be happier about that. 

Joohyun fulfilled the promise she made to the younger girl. She had visited Seungwan six times already, and played with the Son sisters for hours. Hide-and-seek; tea parties; Barbies and Ken at the ball, the fashion show, rock concert; among other games. They also watched a couple of movies, one of them a fairytale classic, which happened to be Seungwan’s favorite, and the reason behind her recent drawings in class.

Miss Park was quite impressed by the girl’s imagination. 

“Your daughter has a talent for storytelling through illustrations, Mrs. Son. Her sense of continuity in these… 30 drawings is remarkable.” She handed the drawings to Seungwan’s mom, who stared at them, mouth ajar. 

“She’s a… brave knight with snake venom immunity, which comes in handy because she intends to rescue a princess who is kept captive inside the highest tower of a cursed castle infested with snakes, very venomous snakes. In the end, she is successful in her quest, as you can see in the last few pages, carrying the princess in her arms as she steps on the countless snakes, fearlessly; and then, riding her white horse through the forest. And once they reach the princess’ home, the rescued one rewards her knight with a kiss.” 

Mrs. Son listened to the teacher’s interpretation of her daughter’s sequential drawings, and with each passing page, a satisfied smile kept growing on her face. She thought, perhaps her youngest could become a prolific writer and illustrator if Seunghee happened to decline the offer for something science-related. 

“Mrs. Son? Hmm, may I ask you who is Joohyun?”

Seungwan’s mother frowned at the random question.

“Joohyun? She’s a friend of my daughters. Goes to school with Seunghee. Why?”

“Because… she’s the princess in Seungwan’s story.”

The memory of her daughter refusing her kiss on the cheek because that girl kissed her there came back, and Mrs. Son was left wondering why.

\--

Two months later, Joohyun and Seungwan had grown in chains even more. Seunghee sometimes asked herself whether her school friend liked her sister more than she liked her. 

Meanwhile, Mrs. Son intuited that the girl was very lonely. She had talked with her husband about the possibility to invite her parents to eat at their place, a barbecue, for example. He agreed, but the opportunity seemed distant. The girl’s progenitors seemed quite secretive and reserved. They did not oppose her daughter befriending the Son daughters but had no intention to socialize with the family any further than the regular greeting when either of them came for the kid. Everything Mrs. Son could learn about Joohyun’s family was where they lived, that her father was a chemist and her mother was a housewife. 

“Do you have to leave already?” Seungwan was sad it was 7 p.m. again, which meant playtime was over and Joohyun had to go back home. 

“No, tonight Joohyun will stay at home with us, Wannie,” Seunghee answered before her friend could. 

“Really?!” Seungwan was so happy that she jumped in excitement and hugged Joohyun by the neck, their cheeks pressing against each other. 

“Yes, my mom gave me permission to sleep here tonight.”

“We have a guest room, but you can sleep in our room, too. If you want, of course.” Seunghee gave her friend the options available, but Seungwan rushed to say, “You can sleep with me, my bed is big!”

That night, Seungwan was so happy to have Joohyun lying next to her, she feared to close her eyes, then open them and realize the girl was no longer there. 

At some point, Joohyun woke up and noticed the girl was still awake. “Seungwannie? You can’t sleep?” She whispered in the dark. 

Seungwan shook her head, “I wish you live with us. We could play together every day.”

Joohyun moved closer to the girl and hugged her tightly. “I also want to be with you forever.”

Seunghee just listened to the girls’ conversation in silence, thinking about it. 

One sunny afternoon, Mr. Son took his girls and Joohyun to the usual park to play for a few hours. The place was a preferred spot for family picnics, cycling and as kids’ playground because of the various equipment, including the classical swing, seesaw and the castle playground with a slide. The girls first had a blast in the sandbox building a mini-city. Then, played in the castle for a whole hour, their role-playing was too much fun to stop it earlier. 

“How about you are Sleeping Beauty and I’m the evil witch who put a spell on you,” Seunghee suggested much to her friend’s surprise. “Then, Seungwannie is Prince Philip who has to defeat me first before climbing inside the castle to rescue you.”

She expected her sister to get excited about the idea, and she was right. 

Joohyun was supposed to stay inside the mini tower pretending to be asleep, but she could not resist the temptation to look at the sisters acting like they were in the middle of the most epic magical battle. She laughed heartedly at the scene.

“Thou shall face me first, oh Prince!” Seunghee exclaimed with an over the top ominous voice, while pointing her staff – a long branch she found lying on the ground – towards Seungwan.

“I don’t fear you, evil witch.” The youngest wielded her sword – a curved twig – and then proceeded to ‘fight’ her sister. Soon, the latter fell on the ground dramatically, announcing her demise. “I’ll have my revenge one day, young Prince.”

For a moment, Seungwan kneeled close to the fallen Seunghee, and stared at her unsure of what to do next, so her sister opened one eye and whispered, “Psss, go up and kiss her.”

Seungwan blushed instantly, but did not hesitate to rush upstairs. 

Joohyun was back in place, sitting on the floor, eyes closed and back against the wooden wall, waiting for her prince to break the spell.

She sensed steps approaching her gingerly. She gulped the second she perceived the slightly agitated breathing of the younger girl and her shadow above her.

Joohyun raised her chin, and jutted her lips, waiting.

One, two, three seconds later, she felt the touch of Seungwan’s lips over hers. Fluffy and tender, yet quite brief. “Wake up, please. Wake up.”

Joohyun fluttered her eyes open and met the other girl’s gaze. “You saved me. You broke the spell.” 

Her growing smile made Seungwan smile, too, and throw herself in the older girl’s arms in the cuddliest hug ever.

Seungwan’s heart was beating so loudly, it started ringing in her ear. And, she could hear Joohyun’s beating fast, too. 

“Wannie, Joohyun-ah! Come down now! Dad will take us to eat ice cream!” Seunghee shouted from outside.

“Yey! Ice cream!” Seungwan screamed visibly excited. She jumped up and grabbed Joohyun’s hands to help her stand up. “Let’s go!”

\--

Days kept passing, and Seungwan made a countdown for the day of her graduation. She could not wait to enter elementary school, where she would see Joohyun even more often. 

But something happened that she did not expect. 

“Joohyun is sick, mom. She has been looking very tired lately, falls asleep in class, and the last day she came, she fainted. Miss Kim took her to the infirmary. I tried to sneak in to see her, but they didn’t let me enter. They called her family and then her father came to take her away.”

“Oh, poor girl, this is terrible.” Mrs. Son frowned and covered her mouth after hearing what her oldest daughter said when she mentioned the incident at home. 

“Mommy, can we go see Joohyunnie at her house?!” Seungwan asked, fully aware that something was not right at all. 

Her mother agreed. 

Later that day, Mrs. Son and the girls paid a visit to the Bae family residence, located in an apartment building, 5 kilometers away from the city center.

“Which is her apartment number, Seunghee?” Their mother asked after realizing that there were no names next to the intercom buttons. 

“408,” said the child after checking the address written in her notebook. 

One call, two, three… ten attempts and nobody answered. 

“She’s not there, mommy?” Seungwan started worrying. 

“How weird…” Her mother decided to call the janitor, who opened the door for them. 

“Excuse me, does Bae Joohwan and his family live in this building?” She asked him.

“Ah, no. Not anymore. They moved out of town a few days ago.”

“Did they say where? Left a contact number, anything?”

“No, ma’am. Nothing at all.” 

The janitor’s words hurt Seungwan deeper than anything before. Deeper than the cut in her head when she fell down the stairs two years ago. The abandonment and desperation she once experienced when she got lost in a supermarket for hours paled in comparison. She felt that her whole world collapsed like a house of cards, and started crying, so loud and hard, her mother panicked after all her failed attempts to console her.

It took the child weeks to even smile again. There was not a night where she did not shed a tear in her bed. It had to be a nightmare, she needed to wake up and Joohyun would be there. 

All her enthusiasm to graduate soon was gone, because the reason behind it was gone.

Joohyunnie, her favorite person in the whole universe, was gone. 

Her princess disappeared as suddenly as she first came into her life. 

Joohyun was sick and Seungwan was not able to protect her the way she wanted to. 

Weeks, months, years passed and yet the void was still hard to fill. Seungwan kept growing and her ability to introspect kept developing. Sometimes she wondered if everything happened. What if Joohyun was nothing but a blissful dream? After all, her parents and her sister, even Jongdae, have long stopped talking about her. Where was she? Did she get better or worse? They did not care anymore. They moved on with their lives. Maybe it was better for her to do the same. 

The memory of their innocent kiss was still so clear and vivid in her mind, Joohyun had to be real. She was somewhere growing up just like Seungwan was. The day would come when she would find her. She did not know how or when, but she would. She swore that in secret. She would not let her go again.

\--

“Seungwan, are you ready yet!? Come down, we’re late.” Mr. Son shouted up the stairs. 

“I’m coming!” 

Thirteen years later, the Son family had moved places twice and now they were living in the capital city. Seunghee was already in her third year of university. She was admitted to a prestigious school of physics abroad, while her younger sister was still living with her parents. Seungwan was about to finish high school this year. Before the end of the academic year, the annual school ball had to take place. And she was getting ready to attend the event that evening.

“Hurry up, please.” Her father was losing patience.

One last look in the mirror as she pushed her short cinnamon hair back. The wrinkleless grey polyester suit, white cotton shirt, and leather black shoes fit her small frame just right. 

“I wish you could see me now. I wish it were you who I take to the dance.” She lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

“Seungwan!” His voice got louder. 

Seungwan rushed down the stairs. “Sorry, dad.”

The man stepped back to look at his daughter’s frame in full.

“You look gorgeous, my darling.” He smiled proudly. “And dashing. You’ll surely impress your date and many other girls at the party.”

His words made her feel shy.

“Thanks, dad.” 

“Time to go, honey. Don’t make your date wait any longer.”

* * *


End file.
